Biomolecular and Micromorphological Analysis of Suspected Fecal Deposits at Neolithic Aşıklı Höyük, Turkey

Summary

Suspected fecal matter from the Aceramic Neolithic site of Aşıklı Höyük was analyzed using biomolecular and micromorphological approaches to study behavioral and environmental processes. Aşıklı Höyük provides the earliest evidence for sedentism and domestication in Central Anatolia. The main goal of this study is to identify the origin of suspected fecal deposits to gain a better understanding of the use of space and waste management strategies in this early Neolithic settlement. Suspected fecal materials from middens, open-space deposits and building fills were analyzed using GC-MS to distinguish between fecal and non-fecal sources. Steroid biomarkers were used to differentiate between human and faunal excrements. Preliminary results from biomolecular analysis show that not all suspected fecal materials are actually of fecal origin and may instead be secondary phosphates. Suspected coprolites collected from a building fill could be confirmed to be of ruminant origin suggesting that animals were kept inside the settlement. This finding is supported by the identification of intact dung deposits in thin sections from middens and open-space areas. Coprolitic materials identified in dumped refuse deposits in thin sections yield biomarkers that suggest that omnivore (potentially human) fecal material was disposed together with domestic waste in designated areas within the settlement.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20512